Adjustable scaffold for ladders.



No. 762,658. PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904. J. F. ROUZE.

ADJUSTABLE SGAPPOLD FOR LADDERS.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 17,1903. N0 MODEL.

Ki l2.

icy, 2. '97 L7 Witnesses. Inventor Patented June 14, 1904.

PATENT. OF ICE;

' JAMES F. ROUZE, or NEWTON, IOWA.

ADJUSTABLE SCAFFOLD FOR LADDERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,658, dated June 14, 1904.

Application filed September 17, 1903. Serial No. 173,533. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES F. Room, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Newton, in the. county of Jasper and State of Iowa, have invented certain vnew and useful Improvements in Adjustable Scaffolds for Ladders, of which the following is a specification. The ob ects of my invention are to provide a device of this class of simple, durable, and

inexpensive construction designed to support a platform from a ladder and to be attached either to the outer or inner sides of an inclined ladder with its upper end resting against a building or other support.

A further object is to provide a device of this class that is supported upon a number of rounds of a ladder .in such manner that its movement laterally on the rounds is prevented or limited, and, further, to provide a scaffoldsupport of this kind the body portion of which rests upon thecentral. portions of the rounds, so that a person may easily and conveniently use the laddereven when the scaffold-support is in position, and a further object is to provide simple, inexpensive, and easily-adjusted means by Which the scaffold-support may be adjusted to engage any number of rounds of a ladder even if such rounds are at different distances apart on the same ladder, or the device may be used on ladders in which ,the rounds are spaced apart differently.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully setforth,.pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 shows in perspective the upper end of a ladder with my improved scaffoldsupport applied thereto as in practical use, also showing a platform supported on the scaffold; and Fig. 2 shows an enlarged detail sectional View through the lower portion of the scaffold-support to show the means for adjusting the round-engaging hooks.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference-numeral to indicate the ladder sides, and 11 the rounds, which are of the ordinary construction and which may be spaced apart as desired.

.The scaffold comprises two parallel bars 12, preferably of metal and of a length capable of engaging anumber of rounds of an ordinary ladder. These bars are held apart by the blocks 13, and their upper ends are flared outwardly at 14 and provided with hooks 15 designed to engage one of the ladder-rounds. These hooks are separated from each other far enough to stand near to the ladder-uprights when placed upon one of the rounds, as clearly shown in the drawings, so that when the hooks 15 are placed upon a round they will prevent or limit lateral movement of the scaffold-support relative to the ladder and so that the body portions 12 will rest upon the central portions of the rounds below the one to which the hooks are attached. Secured to the parts 1 1 immediately below the hooks 15 is a solid cross-piece 16, designed to support the platformbracket, hereinafter described. This platform-bracket comprises two parallel sides 17, preferably of metal, having perforations 18 at their outer ends and having their inner ends inclined away from each other and provided with loops 19, rotatably mounted upon the cross-piece 16, the edges of the loops 19 standing close to the inner faces of the parts 14. These parts 17 are spaced apart by the block 20-and held in position relative to each other by rivets 21, running through them and through the said block 20.

The reference numeral 22 indicates a bracket-brace having a notch 23 at its lower end for purposes hereinafter made clear and having a series of perforations 24 at its upper end. The numeral 25 indicates a pin to be passed through one of the openings 2a to pivotally and adjustably connect the bracket with the said bracket-support.

In order to connect the scaffold members 12 with the rounds of a ladder, I have provided a number of hooks each composed of a flat body portion 26, provided with a longitudinal slot 27 and a hook 28. A number of bolts 29 are passed through the slots 27 and through the parts 12, so that by loosening the nuts 30 on the said bolts 29 the hooks may be adjusted up and down on the parts 12. The lower one of the hooks has the hook portion formed at its lower end instead of at its top, as clearly shown in Fig. 1; otherwise it is the same as the one just described.

In practical use and assuming that it is desired to attach the device to a ladder, first grasp the entire scaffold by holding the parts 12 in one hand. have one hand free for use in ascending the ladder. When the operator reaches the proper position on the ladder, he places the hook 15 on the ladder around the body portion of the scaffold resting against the central portion of the rounds below. Then each of the hooks 28 is adjusted so that it will engage the adjacent round of the ladder, as shown in Fig. 1. Then the bracket is swung outwardly until it reaches a substantially horizontal position, and then the bracket-support 22 is placed in position with its notched lower end resting against one of the bolts 29 and between the sides 12. Then the plank or scaffold may be placed upon the bracket. It is prevented from moving outwardly beyond the end of the bracket by the projecting upper end of the bracket-support. In use it frequently happens that on a ladder the rounds will be different distances apart, and in different ladders the distance between the rounds varies greatly, so that a scaffold-support having hooks thereon designed to be attached to two or more rounds will fit only a comparatively few ladders unless some adjusting means is provided. In use it frequently happens that scaffold-supports in which the whole weight of the scaffold is thrown upon one round of a ladder will cause the round to break, and thus accidents occur, and for this reason it is a matter of great importance that the weight of the scaffold be distributed upon three or four different rounds, and hence the advantage of having adjustable hooks to engage the several rounds, so that the device may be easily fitted to ladders having rounds spaced apart at different distances. It is also desirable in a device of this kind that the scafl old -support shall not prevent persons from passing upwardly and downwardly past the scaffold. Hence the great advantage in connecting the scaffold-support with the central portions of the rounds. However, if this In this way the operator maywere done throughout the entire scaffold-support then the bracket might swing laterally, and for this reason I have spread the upper ends of the scaffold, as shown, so that the bracket is firmly supported in position. Obviously the device may be used on the under side of an inclined ladder in the same way as on the outerside, as shown in the drawings, it being necessary only to change the angle of the bracket, which may be done in the manner before described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim. and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of two parallel bars connected with each other and spaced apart a slight distance and having their upper end portions inclined away from each other and provided with integral hooks, a number of hooks adjustably connected with said parallel bars, a cross-piece mounted in the separated upper ends of said bars, a bracket composed of two bars having loops at their ends pivoted to said cross-piece and having their body portions close to each other and a bracket-brace pivotally and adjustably attached to the bracket and pivotally and detachably connected with the lower ends of said parallel bars.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of two parallel bars connected with each other and spaced apart a slight distance and having their upper end portions inclined away from each other and hooks formed on said upper end portion, a number of hooks adjustably connected with said parallel bars, a cross-piece mounted in the separated upper ends of said bars, a bracket composed of two bars having loops at their ends, pivoted to said cross-piece and having their body portions close to each other, and a bracket-brace pivotally and adjustably connected with the bracket projecting a slight distance above it and having a notched lower end, and bolts in the lower ends of said parallel bars to support said notched end of the brace, substantially as and for the purposes stated.

JAMES F. ROUZE.

Witnesses:

O. C. MEREDITH, F. E. MEREDITH. 

